Chapter 2

The front door clicked shut behind her, the sound unnaturally loud in the tense silence of the house. Mark was on the sofa, his arm around Emily, who was curled into his side, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. The television was on, but the volume was muted, the flickering images of a generic sitcom playing to an audience of three who were embroiled in their own drama.

"You' re finally home," Mark said, his voice laced with accusation. He didn't get up.

Emily looked up at Sarah, her eyes red-rimmed and her lower lip trembling. It was a practiced look of vulnerability, one Sarah had seen a hundred times. "Sarah, I was so worried. When you didn' t answer your phone, I thought something terrible had happened." Her voice was soft, breathy, designed to elicit sympathy.

"I told Mark, I was at work," Sarah replied, setting her bag down by the door. She refused to play her part in this charade. She kept her tone even, her expression neutral.

"But your work is more important than me? Than your family?" Emily' s voice cracked, and a single tear traced a path down her cheek. "I just wanted to talk to you. I miss you, sis."

Sarah felt a cold knot tighten in her stomach. Missed her? Emily hadn't genuinely wanted to talk to her in years. Every conversation was a strategic move, a way to isolate Sarah further from Mark, to solidify her own position as the center of his world. "What did you want to talk about, Emily?"

"I… I just wanted to see if you were okay. You' ve been so distant lately," Emily said, pressing a hand to her swollen belly. "Mark and I are just worried that you' re not happy for us. For the baby."

This was the trap. Anything Sarah said would be twisted. If she denied it, she was a liar. If she stayed silent, she was cold and unfeeling. Mark was already looking at her with disappointment, his brow furrowed. He saw a fragile, pregnant woman reaching out to her callous sister. He didn't see the poisonously clever game being played right in front of him.

"I' m happy for you," Sarah said, the words tasting like ash in her mouth. It was a lie, but it was the only answer that might de-escalate the situation.

"Are you?" Mark jumped in, his voice sharp. "Because it doesn' t seem like it. It seems like you resent Emily. You resent that she needs a little extra care right now."

The injustice of it was staggering. Sarah looked from her sister' s fake tears to her fiancé' s genuine anger. They were a team, and she was the opposition. "That' s not it, Mark. I' m just tired. It was a long day."

"There' s always an excuse," he muttered, turning his attention back to Emily, stroking her hair. "It' s okay, Em. I' m here."

Sarah stood by the door, an outsider in her own home. She wouldn't fight. She wouldn't argue. There was no point. Their minds were made up. She gave them a single, brief nod. "I' m going to bed."

She walked away, leaving them cocooned in their shared delusion on the sofa. As she climbed the stairs, she could hear Emily' s soft, sobbing voice begin again, punctuated by Mark' s low, comforting murmurs. Every step she took was a step away from them, a step closer to her new life. The knowledge was a shield around her heart. Let them have their drama. Her clock was ticking down to freedom.